Is Roo Code free?

Roo Code free tier — is it worth it?

Roo Code free vs paid

How long does Roo Code free tier last?

Roo Code free tier limits 2026

Roo Code free tier is generous. VS Code extension is free and open source — BYOK required for AI. Roo Code Cloud Free plan available with pay-as-you-go agents ($5/hr + inference). Cloud Team is $99/mo flat — unlimited users, no per-seat fees. Best open-source VS Code alternative to Cursor. Extension is free with BYOK. Cloud agents are competitively priced. The $99/mo flat Team plan with unlimited users is a standout value for small teams.

Roo Code
extension

Roo Code

Open-source VS Code extension — free extension + Cloud Agents at $5/hr, 1.29M installs

8.5
Overall / 10
Free Tier: Generous
Visit Roo Code
9Power
9Useful
9Feedback
7Free Tier

⚠ Requires API Key

Data as of

April 2026

Requires Your Own API Key

You need keys from Anthropic, OpenAI, etc. For a truly free path, use local models via Ollama.

Roo Code (formerly Roo Cline) is an open-source VS Code agentic extension with 1.29M installs and 22K+ GitHub stars. The extension itself is free with BYOK. Roo Code Cloud offers autonomous cloud agents at $5/hour plus inference costs. Cloud Free plan available. Cloud Team is $99/mo flat (no per-seat cost).

Free Tier

Generous

Best open-source VS Code alternative to Cursor. Extension is free with BYOK. Cloud agents are competitively priced. The $99/mo flat Team plan with unlimited users is a standout value for small teams.

VS Code extension is free and open source — BYOK required for AI. Roo Code Cloud Free plan available with pay-as-you-go agents ($5/hr + inference). Cloud Team is $99/mo flat — unlimited users, no per-seat fees.

What's included

VS Code extension

22K+ GitHub stars, 1.29M installs. Full agentic capabilities with your own API keys.

Free forever — open source

AI inference (extension)

Use Roo Code Router (at-cost, no markup) or bring your own Anthropic/OpenAI/Google keys.

Requires your own API keys (BYOK)

Cloud Agents (Cloud Free plan)

No monthly fee on Cloud Free. Pay only when agents run. Credits purchased in advance.

$5/hr for agent runtime + inference costs

Cloud Team plan

Unique in the market: no per-seat pricing. Slack + Linear integrations included.

$99/mo flat — unlimited users, unlimited seats

Local models via Ollama

The extension supports Ollama for zero-cost local AI.

Unlimited and free (requires hardware)

How long until you run out?

Real-world estimates for typical developer usage.

Extension with BYOK

Tool is free — API costs depend on your provider

At Claude Sonnet rates (~$3-15/MTok), typical developer uses $5–20/month in API fees.

Cloud Agents ($5/hr)

Varies by task complexity

A 1-hour cloud agent session = $5 + inference. Complex tasks can run 2–4 hours.

Pros & Cons

Pros

  • +Extension is free and open source — 1.29M installs
  • +Role-based modes (Architect, Code, Ask, Debug, Test) keep AI focused
  • +Native MCP support, 100+ model providers via OpenRouter
  • +Cloud Team at $99/mo flat — unlimited users, no per-seat pricing
  • +Works in Cursor and Windsurf as well as VS Code

Cons

  • −Extension AI is NOT free — requires BYOK or Roo Code Router credits
  • −Cloud Agents cost $5/hr plus inference — can add up for heavy use
  • −Requires technical setup vs. one-click tools like Cursor
  • −Smaller community than Cline or Cursor

Scores

Powerfulness
9/10
Usefulness
9/10
User Feedback
9/10
Free Tier
7/10

Best for

VS Code power users wanting Cursor-like agentic capabilities for free (BYOK)Small teams wanting flat-rate $99/mo team pricing (unlimited seats)Privacy-focused developers who want open-source and full model controlDevelopers wanting role-specific agent modes to reduce hallucination
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